Apparatus for producing local anaesthesia



Dec. 11,1923.

1 F. J. FABRET APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LOCAL ANAESTHESEA Filed Dec. 8, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 iirlllll INVENTUH 21x4 npaz s zsyzj jrzf Dec, 11 1923. 3,476,699

F. J. FABRET APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LOCAL ANAESTHESIA Filed Dec. 8. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTDHNEY.

Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES] tease FRANQOISJOSEPH FA-BRET, or men, FRANCE:

' ArrAaATos r03 raonocrne LOCAL Anms'rHEsIA.

Application filed neceinbelfsflleao. se1'-a1"m.429,1'94*j T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANgoIs J osEPH FABRET, a citizen of the Republic'of France, and resident of Nice, dress 6 Avenue de Verdun), have, invented a new and useful Apparatus for Producing Local Anaesthesia, whichimprovements are fully set forth in the following specification. This invention relates to. an apparatus for producing local anaesthesia quickly and with out pain to the patientby first slowly and gradually lowering the temperature of the tissues to be aneesthetized within a given region of the operating field, and then,after the operation has been finished, by re-establishing the reduced circulation by a slow and ing this button in the proper gradual raising of the temperature In carryingf out the operation, a jet of oxygen heated to 875 C., which is the temperature ofthe human body, is first proj ected against the part to be anaesthetized. The heating of the jet can be efi'ected in any desirechinanner, for instance bypassing the oxygen through a flexible tube leading from a heat-exchanger'to the handle of a blow pipe wherein there is arranged a small electric resistance through which a variable current is caused to flow; the heating operation beingv regulated by means of a"spring-controlled button arranged} at the back of the blow pipe above the handle. By manipulatmanner, so as to graduallyfcut down the currentpthe temperature of the oxygenjet and, hence that ofthe part to be anaesthetized may be gradually lowered; and when the temperature of 'said part has dropped until it reaches 20 (1., the, current is shutoff and the jet of oxygen is cooled by 'means of a cooling or freezing agent, such carbonic acid, which can give a temperature of 90, this cool I ingbeing continued to a' greater or less extent "according tothe regions tobe rendered insensitive j Injthe case of a tooth, it may be carried as low as -10, but in practice operating can begin even at 0, that temperature beingmaintained during the whole time of operatingQ 7 v p When the ,operation isfinished and the part operated on is to be returned to ts normaljtemperature, the proce'dure above described is reversed', and fora few minutes the jetofoxygen may even be maintained at +40 without the'patient "experiencing the least disagreeable sensation.

7 While Carbonic acid, has been referred to France (post-office adin" the foregoing as the cooling or freezing agent, it is'to be understood'that the invention is not limitedtothat particular substance, as other substances of a similar character or having similar properties might obv ously be equally well used.

The accompanying drawings'illustrataby way of example, one embodiment of an ap paratus constructed inaccor'dance with my invention for the production of anaesthesia in th" manner previously statedyandin said drawings:

Fi"gure lis an elevation of the complete apparatus; a p Fig; 2 is anenlarged' part-section detail view of the heat-exchanger; i

"Fig. 3'is an enlarged sectional view of the blow pipe and its adju'ncts. I

Figs. gland 5 are enlarged detail vertical sections of the drum O,'taken at right angles to each other. Referring more particularl'y'to Fig. 1', the apparatus is shown therein as comprising a support or stand A of cast" iron or the like mounted on three legs provided with roll ers. This stand carries a metal tankB containing a tube or flask of oxygen of-B cubic ofc'arbonic acid of 8 liters capacity,'which can be given anyfposition so as to facilitate evaporation of the carbonic'acid and render more convenient the handling of the" blow pipe. The oxygentank Bis connected at its upper end to a heat-exchangingvessel D by means'of a tube E; and the said vessel D is screwed directlyon the carbonic" acid tank C and is provided with a flexible tube F to which the blow pipe G is connected. I

The heat-exchanger D, as shown on an enlarged'scale in Fig. 2, comprises an inner copper tubeH', the wall of'which is constituted by 'a coiled pipe" I with soldered or welded. spires- This tube H provides an 'expansion chamber for the liquid carbonic acid which isradmittedthereinto from the tank C through the inlet G zat'the top of the tube. 7

Tube H is enclosed in a copper cylinder J from which it-is insulated'by agglomerated cork,- and the cylinder J in turn is enclosed in a third cylinder K the cylinders J and K being 'spaced'from'each other to form an annular t'ank or reservoir in which accumulates theoxygen admitted at L from tube E V and tank B. The coil I communicates at its upper or inlet end with the top of the annu- 'lar tank or reservoir, as indicated at M; and

its lower or outlet end'opens atN into a drum O, the latter being provided with an orifice or nipple Q in which is fitted, the inlet end through the outlet' nipple Q and tube F to rately through the let G into tube rates, thereby cooling'the current of oxygen into the drum.

the blow pipe. 7 u J The lower endof. the expansion tube H- also: opens into drum 0, and the .latter'is further provided with a secondoutlet nipple 'toreceive the end of pipe P for discharging into the atmosphere the expanded carbonic acid which passes from tube Under normal conditions, the oxygen and carbonic acid pass. sepadrum'; but in order to enable 'ainixture of. the two to be obtained, if desired for any reason, the oxygen passage may be tapped to provide communication with the carbonic acid space or chamber in the drunnthe openingthus formed being controlled by aneedle valve R.

So far as concerns this much of the invention. it will be apparent from the foregoing that theoxygen supplied from tank B passes through tube E and inlet L into the annular space orchamber in' the heatexchanger D between cylinders and J, and thence through outlet M; into and through coil I and nipple N into drum 0, whence-it flows through the drum and the outlet nipple Q into tube F which conducts it to the blow pipe. Duringthe passage of the -oxygen throughcoil 1, liquid carbonic acid is admitted from tank C through in I-Lwherein it quickly evapoto about '90. 7 Y

In order to enable the oxygento be initially dischargedin a heated state from the blow pipe, any suitable means or device may be utilized, thatshown in Figure 3 being preferably employed. Accordingto the con struction illustrated in said figure, there is formed in the interior of the blow pipe a central chamber 4t located inlets 6 and 7 and an outlet 8, the latter opening into the discharge passage 64. The inlet 6 communicates directly with a conduit 6; and at the side of this conduit 3) there is disposed a branch conduit 0, both conduits leading from a common supply conduit d to which tube F issuitably connected. The branch conduit 0' opens into a chamber 5 containing a resistance9 consisting of one or more wires of German silver or other material adapted to be connected to a source of current supply; the current being varied at will by means of having two opposrtelyk a rheostat or the like,illustration of which. 7

7 leading into chamber 4t, so that the latter is. therefore, in' communication with both inlets 6 and 7 and-to'control such communication there is arranged within chamber The 'heat- 7 4i asuitable valve the stem of which.

terminates in a push .button i and is equipped with a spring 2 that 'normally holds the valve in position to close the inlet 7 from the inlet 6 normally open.

Assuming that'tl1e,blow,pipe been connected up to the supplywires and that heating chamber '5, leaving the thecurrent s on, the resistance deviceQ will be heated;

and if, then, thebntton 1 is pushed in,'the valve3 will close inlet oxygen com- 6 and open inlet 7, sothat the p the heat-exing through conduit d from changer D branch conduit 0, and thence intov and will flow into and. through the v through the heating chamber 5, from which it passes through inlet. 7 into thevalve cham her i and is discharged through the'passage a against the part to be aneesthetized; providing the rheostat,

or other controller,

the current can be gradually cut down, with f the result that the temperature of the drops; the current beingoxygen gradually shut off entirely when the temperature falls to 20 0., as previously explained, and the push button 1 thereafter the oxygen chamber directly through the conduit 7) and inlet 6, and does not flow through theheat? ing chamber.

then released, so thatenters the valve:

As a matter'of fact, the oxygen which is I discharged from the blow pipe after the button has been released and'anaesthesia has commenced, is not only-unheated, but is actually refrigerated; and for that purpose the carbonic acid was shut off from the treatment above described, is now admitte through theinlet G to said tank and evaporates therein, thereby exerting the desired freezing action on" the oxygen. which is passing through the coil 1, so-that the oxygen is now supplied ina freezing state to the tissues to be anaesthetized. This is continued until total anaesthesia is protank H during the or thelike, which duced, and thereafter until the operation has been completed; and during thislstage some of the carbonic acidgas maybe allowed to mix with ing of the two gases is seldom. necessary excepting in rare instances when it. is desired to economize in the quantities of the gases consumed. Under ordinary condiall of the carbonicacid gasentering drum 0 from tank. H is discharged from said drum through pipe I into the atmosphere,

the oxygen by manipu-A lating the needle valve R, although this mix tions, the needle valve remains closed, and

When the operation has been completed, the procedure is reversed; that is to say, the freezing treatment is gradually reduced, and heating is effected gradually until the normal temperature of 37 C. is again reached.

I claim as my invention 2-- 1. Apparatus for producing local anaesthesia, comprising an oxygen tank; a blow pipe; a connection between the oxygen tank and the blow pipe for supplying oxygen from the former to the latter to be discharged against the tissues to be anaesthetized; means for heating the current of oxygen t be discharged; and a device arranged in the path of the oxygen for refrigerating the same by the evaporation of a liquid gas.

2. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, in which the heating means is located within the interior of the blow pipe.

- 3. An apparatus for producing local an aesthesia; comprising an oxygen tank; a blow pipe; a connection between the oxygen tank and the blow pipe for supplying oxygen from the former to the latter to be discharged against the tissues to be anaesthetized; an electric resistance disposed within the blow pipe in the path of the oxygen current and through which a variable current of electricity is adapted to be passed; and means for refrigerating the oxygen current.

4:. Apparatus for producing local anaesthesia comprising an oxygen tank; a. receptacle connected to receive oxygen therefrom; means for supplying a vaporizab-le refrigerating medium to said receptacle to Y freeze the'cxygen pas-sing therethrough; a blow pipe; and a connection between said receptacle and the blow pipe to supply the refrigerated oxygen to the latter from the former to be discharged against the tissues to be anaesthetiz'ed.

5. Apparatus for producing local anaesthesia, comprising an oxygen tank; a tank for containing a liquid refrigerant; a rece 'itacle connected with the refrigerant tank to receive the refrigerant therefrom, and in which said refrigerant evaporates; a. receptacle surrounding the first-named receptacle and connected with the oxygen tank to be supplied therefrom, and wherein the oxygensupplied is refrigerated by the evaporation of the refrigerant; a blow pipe; and a connection between the second-named receptacle and the blow pipe to supply the refrigerated oxygen to the latter from the former to be discharged against the tissues to be anaesthetized.

6. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 5,

FRANQOIS JOSEPH FABRET. Witnesses:

P; M. Roman,

PETER PETERSEN. 

